In every kind of explosive ammunition, there is a need for a safing and arming (or S & A) mechanism, the purpose of which is twofold:
to ensure safety in handling, transportation and storage; and PA0 to ensure arming after a suitable safety delay following the ejection of the ammunition from its launcher.
One of the main objectives of the present invention is to provide a new method of ensuring the aforementioned safety delay, using either viscous flow or creep as the underlying physical phenomenon.